Therapy Areas: Vaccines
Open Orphan enters into agreement with UK Government for the development of COVID-19 human challenge study model
20 October 2020 -

Pharmaceutical services company Open Orphan plc (ORPH) revealed on Monday that it will develop a COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) human challenge study model under a partnership with its subsidiary hVIVO and the UK Government.

The study will be sponsored by Imperial College London and conducted by hVIVO at The Royal Free Hospital's specialist research unit in London under the scrutiny of highly trained scientists and medics. The human challenge study model will safely speed up development of an efficacious COVID-19 vaccine.

Under the study, hVIVO will expand its clinical operations in London to facilitate work at this site. The model development involves the manufacture of the first-in-human characterisation study for this virus. The characterisation study, which is expected to complete in May 2021 and will require regulatory and ethical approval, enables identification of the most appropriate dose of the virus for use in future human challenge studies, which play a vital role in helping to develop vaccines and antivirals for infectious diseases including COVID-19.

Reportedly, hVIVO has the world's leading portfolio of eight human challenge study models developed and has safely run more human challenge studies than any other company globally, to date.

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